Astronomical clock



M. suLKA. ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 1, 1919. 1,416,605. Patented May 16,1922

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Q r INVENTOR. K6 Michael Bulka A TTORN E Y.

M. BULKA.

ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK.

APPLICATION man mac. 1919.

R RM a 9m 1 ma M 5 m5 0 m VI H me A W. m M M 5 u M M t n Y m .B P 7 5 2A d 5 o m m 6 e P .K .J h L J N r "J M s M y M u UNITED STATES PATENToFFlce.

MICHAEL BULKA, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO ASTRONO'MICAL CLOCK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CELLASTRONOMICAL CLOCK.

T 0 all 1072,0971. it may concern.

Be it known that I, M'ICHAEL BULKA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Gardner, in the county of l Vorcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in AstronomicalClocks, of which the following is a specifi cation. I

The object of my present invention is the provision of an improved clockfor exemplifying and illustrating the movements of the earth and moonabout the sun, and the movement of the moon in its orbit about theearth, and these movements in concert with the actual happenings and soas to typify the four seasons of a year.

To the attainment of the foregoing, the invention consists in theimprovement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation showing thebest practical embodiment of my invention that I have as yet devised.

Figure 2 is a detail front elevation illustrating the twenty-four hourhand and the year hand in proper relation to the dial complementary tosaid hands.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken in the plane at rightangles to Figure 1, and showing the mechanism of the clock.

Figure 4 is a detail section taken in the plane at right angles toFigure 3 and show ing the driving connections complementaiy to the earthand the moon.

Figure 5 is a detail section through the dial and the parts adjacentthereto.

Similar numerals and letters of reference designate corresponding partsin all of the views of the drawings.

The clock casing 1 is preferably, though not necessarily, of theconfiguration illustrated, and it carries at 2 an ordinary clock dial,and at 3 a calendar dial; the calendar dial in the illustratedembodiment being disposed above the elock dial 2.

Extending through the upper wall of the casing 1 is a vertical fixedshaft or rod 1 on i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1922.

Application filed December 1, 1919. Serial No. 341,585.

jects and at the same time enhancing the finished appearance of theclock.

The dial 3 is provided with an inner annular portion 8, divided intosegments bearing the inscriptions Spring, Summer, Autumn, /Vinter. Saiddial 3 is also provided with an outer annular portion 9 bearing thenames of the months arranged in regular sequence. Surrounding the outerdial portion 9 is a revoluble annuluslO on which are twenty-fourdivisions numbered from 1 to 12, in two series. The said revolubleannulus is turned through a complete revolution once in 365 days, and isdesigned to be driven byt-he year hand, hereinafter referred to.()nehalf of the revoluble annulus 10 is darkened from a graduation VI toan adjacent graduation V1, with a view to indicating the hours ofdarkness. The remainder or undarkened portion of the annulus 10 isdesigned to indicate the daylight hours.

Movable in front of the dial 2 are the ordinary hour hand 11 and minutehand 12, and movable in front of the dial 3 aretwo hands, one of which,13,1 denominate the twenty-four hour hand,, and the other, 14, I

denominate the year hand.

The moon 7 is carried on an arm 15 having a center of movement below thecenter of the earth 6, so as to permit of the moon being moved in anorbit about the earth. Tllhe earth (3 is arranged with its axis disposedat an angle to the perpendicular in conventional manner and is mountedin an annular frame 16. Coincident with the axis of the earth is a shaft1'7 on which is a spur main clock-work and designed to be turned throughfour revolutions in twenty-four hours. Thesaid arbor E carries a gear 6intermeshed with a gear 7" on an arbor F. and designed to rotate thelatter. The gear f drives a gear 9' on an arbor G, and said gear 9serves to effect the motion of the twenty-four hour hand 13. Said gear 9drives a smaller gear It on the arbor H which carries a gear whichmeshes with 'a gear 7'. The gear j is movably secured to a gear Z3, andthe gear ll mounted on an arbor I to rotate a gear Z and drive a shailitJ, which shat't J is designed to make 366 revolutions in 365 days andcarries the twenty-tour hour hand 13. The function of this hand 13 is toillustrate the rotation of the earth about its axis. The hand 13 isdesigned to maize one and 1/365 revolutions in twenty-tomhours, or 866revolutions in days. and in order to compensate for the traction so thatthe hour hand will indicate the correct time, the revohible annulus 10is provided; said annulus 10 being operable by the year hand let anddesigned to be turned through a comple revolution once in 365 days, orthrough 1/665 of a revolution in every twenty-four hours. The shaft Jcarries a gear at, and meshed with the gear m is a gear a looselymounted on a stud The said gear 71 is inter-meshed with a gear carriedby an arbor K. Said arbor I: also carries a gear 7) that is interineshedwith a gear q. mounted on an arbor L. Said arbor L also carries a gear1* that is intermcshc il with a gear a movably secured to a sleeve M,designed to turn loosely on the arbor or shaft 5. The said sleeve Mcarries the year hand 14L, designed in combination with the dial, 3 toshow the rotation ot' the earth around the sun. Said arbor J alsocarries a miter gear 25 which is intermeshed with a miter gear a on avertieal sleeve N, which sleeve N is adapted to turn about the shaft l.At its upper end the sleeve N carries a miter gear 0 which isintermeshed with a miter gear w on a horizontal sleeve 0. At the outerend of the sleeve 0 is carried a miter gear :17, and this miter gear a;is intermeshed with a miter gear y on the lower end of an upright sleeveP. This sleeve P designed to turn loosely about an arbor Y. and isprovided at its upper end. with av spur gear intermcshcd with a gear Q.which is supported on the id'illllt. l6 and is inter-meshed with thegear 18 on the shaft 17 so as to rotate the earth (3 about its axis oncein twentvdour hours. Atits lower end the sleeve carries a miter gear 2and a spur gear a; said gear a being intermeshcu with a spur gear S, andthe said gea r S being loosely mounted on a stud fixed with respect tothe sleeve d. On the said stud. is carried a gear 7) which isintermeshed with and designed to drive a gear (1' fixed to a sleeve Twhich loosely surrounds the sleeve P. On the said sleeve T is the arm 15The sleeve M carries a miter gear in mesh with a miter gear 9 on thelower end of an upright sleeve U, and this sleeve U carries ahorizontally extending sleeve l to which latter is fastened the sleeve(7 receiving the rod Y, which rod carries the trame to. .imiter gear 7tis fixed to the shaft 4:. The sleeve V surrounds the sleeve 0, and saidsleeve 0, in turn, siu-rtmm'ls a shaft l'V having a miter gear 2" at itsinner end. and a miter gear j at its outer end. he j being intermeshedwith the ar Z1. and the gear 71 being intermcshed with the gear 72..ianiitlestly the sleeve V, swinging around the sun, brings aboutrotation of the near vi and driving oi? the parts connected with saidgear 3'. By virtue of the gear y" and Zr being inter-meshed, the frame16 is always held in the same position with a view to illnstra'ti thefour seasons of the year.

The shaft or rod l on which the sun, carried is fixed at 5 with respectto the framework.

The manner in which the annulus 10 is driven by the year hand 1-!.- willbe understood when it is stated that the said annulus 10 is providedwith a small wire clamp 10* into which the year hand l t is titted. lig. 5. Consequently as the hand 14]- mal-tes a complete revolution oncein 36.3 days. the annulus 10 makes the same revolution in the .rametime.

It will be apparent trom the torcgoing that notwithstanding its capacityof iunctii'm as hereinbetore set forth, my novel clock is simple andinexpensive in construction. and. is not liable to get out of orderutter a short period of use. It will also be apparem; that the clock, inaddition to its educatiomil value. is adapted to form an ornamental object in a classroom.

Having described my invention. what I claim and. desire to secure byLetters-Patent. is:

In an astronon'rical clock. a year hand. a t .\"enty'lour hour hand.clock mechanism for rotating said hands. a dial. and a re'a'olubloannulus associated withthe dial and having means engaged by the yearhand tor the movement of th annulus by saidhand, said annulus bearing onits face figures repre sentative of the hours in a day and arranged intwo series of one to twelve each in regular sequence.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

MICHAEL BUIJIA-

